Mask c. 20th century

This mask was carved out of wood, at an unknown date, by an artist of the Wobe or Bete people. Look closely, and you’ll see the wood has this gorgeous, deep patina, and is studded with little metal tacks. It's clear that the artist wasn't interested in hiding the process of making this mask. The surface is rugged and you can see the marks from the tools that shaped it. It’s so interesting how they built up the features of the face using these thick, horizontal planes for the eyes and cheeks, almost like architectural elements. Then there's the nose, that juts out like it's nobody's business, creating real shadows that shift as you move around the piece. You might see echoes of this mask in the work of artists like Picasso, who looked to African art for new ways of representing the human form. It’s a reminder that art is an ongoing conversation, where ideas bounce back and forth across cultures and time.